The early in vitro and clinical studies that I mentioned indicate that boosters reconstitute the antibody titers and enhance the vaccine protection against Omicron.
And so, finally, our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster.
And so the message remains clear: If you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated. And particularly in the arena of Omicron, if you are fully vaccinated, get your booster shot.
Back to you, Jeff.
MR. ZIENTS: Thanks, Dr. Fauci.
So, as we just discussed, as Dr. Fauci presented, each day we are getting additional data that gives us a clearer understanding of the Omicron variant.
And as Dr. Fauci just importantly explained, our vaccines work. They continue to provide people protection against this new variant. And booster shots provide the highest level of protection.
From day one, President Biden has been laser-focused on getting shots in arms. He marshaled a whole-of-government effort to make vaccines readily available and easy to get at more than 80,000 locations nationwide. And he empowered local leaders with the tools and resources they needed to answer people’s questions and get their communities vaccinated.
Vaccines are the best line of defense against COVID. Plain and simple. They keep people out of the hospital and save lives.
The latest data from CDC shows that an unvaccinated individual is 8 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID and 14 times more likely to die from COVID compared to a fully vaccinated individual.
Just yesterday, a new study from researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health and the Commonwealth Fund quantified the impact of our relentless effort to get Americans vaccinated.
Looking at the impact on hospitalizations and death, what you see on this slide is that the U.S. vaccination program has already prevented 10.3 million hospitalizations. And it has saved 1.1 million American lives. 1.1 million American lives saved — that’s the power of vaccines.
That’s why we have worked so hard to get shots in arms. And that’s why getting more Americans vaccinated and boosted is central to the President’s plan to fight COVID and confront Omicron this winter.
Since the President announced his Winter Plan on December 2nd, we have been hard at work executing, using every tool at our disposal.
The President’s plan is delivering significant results. Sixty percent of all eligible seniors, including about 60 percent of eligible long-term care residents — those most vulnerable — are now boosted. And these numbers increase each day.
Overall, we’re now getting booster shots to millions of Americans each week. As I said earlier, it’s really important to emphasize the importance of everybody getting the booster but particularly eligible seniors. And we’re at 60 percent. And, as Dr. Walensky said, we want that number to go up each and every day.
Overall, we’re now getting booster shots to millions of Americans each week. In fact, across the first two weeks of December, we have gotten 14 million booster shots. That’s our highest-ever two-week total.
So our booster program is accelerating, and our overall vaccination program is also on the increase.
In the first two weeks of December, we have gotten 26 million total shots in arms. That’s up 40 percent from the last two weeks of November.
This is significant progress, putting us in a stronger position as we confront Omicron and head into winter.
Let me close with the message that we want every American to hear: If you’re eligible for a booster shot, it’s critical that you go get boosted today. Don’t wait. And please get your kids and yourself fully vaccinated, if you haven’t already.
It’s safe and effective, free and easy. And it’s the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your communities this holiday season and winter.
With that, let’s take some questions. Over to you, Kevin.
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